Massachusetts joins lawsuit against J&J

April 30, 2010

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has joined a federal lawsuit that contends that Johnson & Johnson paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to get its drugs, especially the powerful antipsychotic Risperdal, prescribed in nursing homes, according to The Boston Globe.

The action was taken as Coakley’s office disclosed that it is also scrutinizing companies that market antipsychotics to Massachusetts nursing homes. These drugs are widely used in some homes to treat residents suffering from dementia.

Antipsychotics are approved to treat people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, but it is legal for physicians to prescribe them “off label” to treat people with dementia. Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing or promoting off-label uses of their products.

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